WNTK Local News

New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers had a busy weekend.

On Saturday at 5:40 PM, conservation officers were contacted by the New Ipswich Police Department and asked to respond to Boynton Hill Road regarding a missing man. Douglas Arey of New Ipswich was reported missing by his wife after last being seen 25 hours earlier. By the time conservation officers arrived, family and friends had been searching roads and trails in the area. With the assistance of a NH State Police K9 Unit, a NH State Trooper was able to locate Arey, who was uninjured and transported back to his residence. It’s believed Arey had become lost in the woods and unable to find his way home.

Officers were later called to help locate two lost hikers in Crawford Notch Saturday at 10:45 PM. Nicole Nardone and Andrea Slack from Massachusetts called 911 stating they were lost, had no lights, and required assistance. Conservation officers pinpointed their location via cell signal and began hiking to their location shortly after midnight. At 1:07 AM, Nardone and Slack arrived back to their parked car safely. Conservation officers remind hikers to prepare appropriately for hiking, including warm clothing, food, water, and a flashlight.

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Dartmouth College announced that out of state students can be vaccinated in New Hampshire. The Covid 19 Task Force co chairs shared New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu’s announcement that beginning April 19th, all Dartmouth community members age 16 and older, regardless of residence, will be eligible to register through the state’s website for Covid 19 vaccinations.

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Hanover residents are invited to attend a meeting Wednesday evening at 7 PM via Zoom regarding bridge preservation work scheduled on New Hampshire Route 10A, on Wheelock Street over the Connecticut River. Anticipated traffic control will maintain one traffic lane in each direction during each of two construction phases. The bridge work is expected to last six months.

Plans for an off-road driving school have been dropped, reports WCAX.

According to the report, the Woodstock Inn and Resort dropped the proposal for the school at Suicide Six due to protest from the residents of Pomfret, Vermont.

The Valley News states that town residents voiced their anger with the plans at a Pomfret Planning Committee meeting.

The exchange reportedly became heated, with residents stating that they believed the community could become a hotbed for intense off-road activity on the many Class 4 roadways. 

Hanover’s Dartmouth College is set to ease COVID-19 restrictions for fully vaccinated students.

According to WMUR, students who are fully vaccinated will be permitted to gather in off-campus private spaces without being masked or socially distanced.

Reportedly, staff, students, and faculty who are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus will qualify for less-frequent COVID-19 testing. To be eligible for the less-frequent testing, individuals need to give the college proof of their vaccinations.

NH opened vaccine eligibility to all residents aged 16-or-older on April 2nd. 

A single-vehicle accident in Westminster on Wednesday resulted in the arrest of the operator and the hospitalization of his passenger.

According to a press release from the Vermont State Police-Westminster Barracks, troopers responded to reports of an accident on US Route 5 in Westminster at approximately midnight. An investigation into the accident determined that the operator, 46-year-old Troy Franklin of Bellows Falls, displayed multiple signs of impairment.

He was then arrested for DUI and Negligent Operation. The vehicle’s passenger was transported to the Springfield Hospital to be treated for injuries they sustained during the crash.

Assisting on scene were the Bellows Falls Police Department, Walpole Police Department, and Westminster Fire Department.

Franklin was issued a citation to appear in VT Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division on May 25th at 11 AM to answer to the charges. 

The Vermont State Police-Royalton Barracks have provided an update on Monday’s fatal accident on Interstate 91.

According to the press release, the incident occurred at approximately 5:50 AM on Monday, April 5th, on a stretch of Interstate 91 traveling through Hartland. Investigators have uncovered that a tractor-trailer truck, driven by 66-year-old Garry Starr of Jay, VT, was heading southbound on the interstate when the vehicle became disabled. This forced Starr to move into the breakdown lane. He then activated his four-way flashers and set-up several traffic triangles behind his vehicle.

Starr then, for currently unknown reasons, began walking in the southbound lane on I-91. While he was walking, a 2013 Dodge Dart, operated by 35-year-old Tristan Blanchard of North Springfield, came around a corner on the highway and struck him. According to Blanchard, he attempted to avoid the collision but was unsuccessful in his efforts. Starr was pronounced dead at the scene.

A portion of I-91 southbound was closed down for over five hours while emergency crews and police responded to the area of the crash. The investigation is currently in progress but, at this time, police state that no charges are expected to be filed.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has information pertaining to the investigation, are encouraged to call the VSP-Royalton Barracks at 802-234-9933 or via anonymously at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit. 

Health officials are reporting a small COVID-19 outbreak at Magdalen College in Warner.

According to WCAX, health officials are encouraging individuals who attended events and/or services at the Catholic school between the dates of March 21st and April 4th to get tested for COVID-19. At least 16 individuals who attended on-campus events during this period have tested positive for the virus. Events during this time period included; Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

The Department of Health and Human Services has begun contact tracing. At this time, the campus has been closed to the public. 

The COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Claremont will be relocating to Newport, reports WMUR.

According to the report, the clinic will be located inside the space formerly occupied by Family Dollar in Newport’s Sugar River Plaza, effective Thursday.

Reportedly, all appointments booked for Claremont will be honored upon the move, at the same date and time. This means that vaccine recipients will not need to change their appointments on New Hampshire’s VINI scheduling system.

Officials stated that an email and text notification will be sent to individuals with scheduled appointments at the Claremont site starting April 6th.

Anyone with questions, or those who would like to reschedule their vaccinations, are encouraged to do so online at vaccines.nh.gov or by calling 211. 

An early morning motor vehicle accident on Interstate 91 through Hartland killed one individual on Monday, reports WCAX.

According to the report, a tractor-trailer truck driver parked his vehicle on the side of the highway around 6 AM on Monday, April 5th. The Vermont State Police report that the truck’s flashers and warning triangles were out, but it is not known why. The VSP stated that the driver was out of his truck in the travel lane when a vehicle driving southbound struck him.

The man, whose identity has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle that struck the man was not injured, and at this time, authorities do not foresee any charges being brought against the individual.

The incident is reportedly still under investigation. 

A Hartland man was arrested on multiple charges Sunday night after being witnessed driving erratically.

According to a press release from the Vermont State Police-Royalton Barracks, authorities received notice of a vehicle maneuvering erratically on Route 5 in Hartland at approximately 7:30 PM on Sunday, April 4th. Soon after, troopers were able to locate the vehicle and conduct a routine stop. Upon investigation, the operator, 30-year-old Cameron Laundry of Hartland, was determined to be under the influence of intoxicants. Laundry was taken into custody and transported to the Hartford Police Department for processing.

He was subsequently cited to appear in Windsor County Superior Court on April 20th at 1:30 PM to answer to the charges of; Disorderly Conduct, DUI, and Negligent Operation.